Only 21 states currently have any type of personal financial education requirements for high school graduation. Even for schools that want to teach personal finance, many can't afford to allocate funding for personal financial education. Yet, this knowledge is critical for teens as they prepare to enter adulthood and face real-life challenges.

To help, H&R Block has committed to donate more than $1 million in personal finance curriculum to high schools for the 2010-2011 school year. The annual donation provides administrators and teachers the opportunity to apply for a curriculum grant through the H&R Block Dollars & Sense(tm) program. The grant application is available at hrblockdollarsandsense.com. The deadline to apply is February 15.

If selected as a grant recipient, H&R Block Dollars & Sense will provide Knowledge Matters' Virtual Business(r)-Personal Finance software and lesson plans at no charge to the school. This interactive curriculum engages students while presenting them with challenges around 18 financial topics such as bank accounts, credit and debit cards, taxes and investing.

Knowing that 80 percent of students entering college carry at least one credit card and only 15 percent of students leaving high school receive any formal personal finance education, there is an obvious need for programs like this.

Grant recipients will be notified by March 31. For more information about increasing financial fitness or to apply for a grant, visit hrblockdollarsandsense.com.